


An Unfortunate Arrangement

by sunnybearhyuck



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Childhood Friends, Fluff, M/M, might continue if i get positive feedback, prince! au, they're both just so cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-02
Updated: 2020-05-02
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:00:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23958841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunnybearhyuck/pseuds/sunnybearhyuck
Summary: “I, Kim Dongyoung, heir to the throne of the Southern Kingdom, do pledge to you, Jung Jaehyun, Prince of the Northern Kingdom, to always be your friend, and always find my way back to you, no matter the circumstances or how long we have been apart.”
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung
Comments: 9
Kudos: 105





	An Unfortunate Arrangement

**Author's Note:**

> this has been sitting in my drafts since June but i actually really like it, so i wanted to share.

_ “Doyoungie, Doyoungie!” _

_ Doyoung turns and Jaehyun smiles, sliding his hand into Doyoung’s. _

_ “Hyung, where are you going?” _

_ “I’m going to the gardens.” _

_ “Can I come too?” _

_ “Of course, as long as your nurse says so.” _

_ The six year old turns to his caretaker, looking up with imploring eyes. _

_ “Oh please noona, please could I go to the garden with Doyoungie-hyung?” _

_ The nursemaid chuckles, leaning down and ruffling his hair.  _

_ “I don’t see why not, as long as your retainer accompanies you.” _

_ “Yes! Yes!” Jaehyun cheers and starts to turn when the nursemaid pulls him back, frowning. _

_ “Now where did you get this?” She murmurs, leaning down and rubbing her thumb to wipe away a smudge of dirt on his cheek. The nurse licks her thumb and reaches out again in an attempt to get the rest of the dirt when Jaehyun retches, pulling away. _

_ “Gross! We’re leaving now.” The boy runs off, tugging his friend away and leaving the retainer to catch up. The man looks at the other woman, chuckling. _

_ “That kid will be the death of me.” _

_ The nursemaid smiles fondly at the happy yell echoing down the corridor.  _

_ “I hear ya.” _

_ Jaehyun, with the help of Doyoung, pushes the doors to the garden open, skipping out into the bright sunlight.  _

_ “C’mon hyung!” Jaehyun turns, chubby cheeks stretching into a dimpled smile as he looks at his friend. “I want to show you my favorite spot!” _

_ Doyoung pauses, looking back at the door. _

_ “Shouldn’t we wait for retainer-hyung?” _

_ “Nah, he knows where we’ll be.” _

_ Jaehyun grabs the other boy’s hand again, walking along the path with purpose and tugging Doyoung impatiently whenever he stops to look at flowers. _

_ “Jaehyun, it’s not like we’re on a schedule or something, I can look at the flowers if I want.” _

_ “But hyuuuuung!” Jaehyun whines, stomping his little foot. “Sometimes appa makes me go to meetings and I don’t want you to leave without seeing my favorite place.” _

_ “Alright, alright.” Doyoung lets the boy lead him and eventually they reach a spot where Jaehyun decides to veer right, straight into a wall of bushes. Doyoung stops short, looking up at the tall greenery in apprehension. _

_ “Are you sure about this?” _

_ “Of course!”  _

_ Doyoung follows Jaehyun as he kneels down, crawling through a tunnel and coming out into a small grassy area, surrounded by bushes but big enough for the boys to sit comfortably. _

_ “Do you like it?” Jaehyun asks, feeling his ears turn red as he picks at the nearby grass.  _

_ “Yes, it’s very nice. It’s quiet but I can still hear the birds and stuff.” Doyoung frowns, correcting himself. “Birds and nature. Abeoji doesn’t like it when I use improper words.”  _

_ Jaehyun looks at the other boy in surprise.  _

_ “You don’t call your abeoji appa?” _

_ Doyoung shrugs, peeling a blade of grass in half. _

_ “He would prefer us calling him ‘your highness,’ but eomeoni said it was too formal and would make us look bad. So we call him abeoji.” _

_ Nodding, Jaehyun sighs, slowly scooting closer until the two boy’s shoulders are touching. Doyoung looks down, raising an eyebrow.  _

_ “Is everything ok?” _

_ With another nod Jaehyun leans his head on Doyoung’s shoulder, pulling his knees up to his chest. _

_ “I don’t want you to leave.” Jaehyun feels a hollowness welling up in his chest and he squeezes his eyes tight, hoping it can prevent the tears from leaking out.  _

_ “Hey, it’s ok,” Doyoung murmurs, running a hand through the other boy’s soft black hair. “I’m sure we’ll get to see each other soon.” _

_ Jaehyun suddenly jerks away, shaking his head and furiously scrubbing his eyes with his hands. _

_ “No, no we won’t.” The boy insists. “That’s what Prince Kun said and he hasn’t been back. And that’s what Prince Yuta said and he hasn’t come back. The only person who does come back is Johnny and that’s because his appa works for my appa so he has to play with me. Everyone leaves and then I’m all alone and sad with only my big brother Daehyun to keep me company. And appa takes him to even more boring meetings so we don’t even get time together! And then-” _

_ Doyoung slaps a hand over Jaehyun’s mouth, ceasing the rambling. Frowning, Jaehyun tries to lick the hand but Doyoung pulls back quickly, shoving him. They devolve into a playful tussle, Doyoung trying to put the small boy into a headlock while Jaehyun tries to push him away. The air is filled with giggles and the two finally pull apart, panting and flushed. _

_ “Jaehyun,” Doyoung softly starts, catching his attention. “Even if I don’t see you for a week, or a month, or a year, I’ll always be your friend.” _

_ Jaehyun looks at the elder, eyes wide and brows furrowed.  _

_ “Promise?” _

_ “Yes.” _

_ “Say it then,’ Jaehyun insists and Doyoung rolls his eyes. _

_ “I, Kim Dongyoung, heir to the throne of the Southern Kingdom, do pledge to you, Jung Jaehyun, Prince of the Northern Kingdom, to always be your friend, and always find my way back to you, no matter the circumstances or how long we have been apart.” _

_ Satisfied, Jaehyun leans against the bush behind him.  _

_ “Jaehyun! Prince Jaehyun!” _

_ The boys look at each other as they hear the call of Jaehyun’s retainer.  _

_ “Jaehyun I know you’re in the bushes. Can you please come out? Your abeoji needs to speak with you.” _

_ “Probably another boring meeting,” Jaehyun mumbles before crawling out, Doyoung following close behind.  _

_ “There you are,” the retainer sighs, smiling down at the two boys. “Now let’s get going. The king doesn’t like to wait.”  _

_ They head off down the path and back into the castle, walking through twisting hallways until they reach a large door. Stopping, Jaehyun straightens up, knowing how important it is to look good in front of his father and the royal advisors.  _

_ “Wait,” Doyoung pulls the boy back, tilting his chin up so Doyoung can get a better look at his face. “You’ve got something…” Doyoung wipes at Jaehyun’s cheek, cleaning the dirt off. Sweeping his hands over the rest of Jaehyun’s outfit, Doyoung brushes the dirt off before nodding once, smiling in satisfaction. “Ok, now you’re ready.”  _

_ Jaehyun smiles back and the retainer opens the door, leading the two boys into a room with a large table in the middle and several imposing men sitting around it. Jaehyun gulps nervously but pastes on a smile for the familiar faces, heading towards the one he knows best.  _

_ “Hello appa, you wanted to see me?” _

_ Chuckling, the king ruffles his son’s hair, smiling fondly. The dimples they are famous for shine through as he pulls Jaehyun up into his lap. Doyoung seats himself at the table and Jaehyun gives himself a chance to look around, noticing a tall, thin man and a small girl seated on either side of his friend.  _

_ “Well aren’t you going to say hi?” The king prods and Jaehyun blushes, embarrassed by his poor manners.  _

_ “Hello, Princess Sooyoung.”  _

_ Sooyoung nods quickly and replies, “Hello Prince Jaehyun.” _

_ Jaehyun twists in his father’s lap, looking up at him. _

_ “What is the purpose of this meeting?” _

_ The king bellows out a laugh in surprise. _

_ “Look at you, my little prince! Straight to the point! I like it!”  _

_ Jaehyun smiles proudly as his father pats his head, basking in the praise. _

_ “Well, first I have something to ask you. How have you enjoyed the Kim's visit?” _

_ “I’ve enjoyed it a lot!” Jaehyun wiggles, eager to talk about his friend. “Doyoung-hyung is the best! He makes lessons so much fun and Johnny thinks he’s fun and we go to the kitchens together all the time and even though little kids aren’t that great Prince Jeno is pretty cute and not noisy and-” _

_ “Jaehyun.” _

_ The prince snaps his mouth shut, turning away from his father and looking at the table. _

_ “My apologies abeoji, my excitement got away from me.” _

_ “It’s alright, son,” the king ressures, patting his back. “We don’t want to be rude to our guests.” _

_ Nodding, Jaehyun looks from the corner of his eye to see Doyoung smiling to himself, looking down into his lap. Happy that his friend is happy, Jaehyun returns to his former straight-backed posture, fit for a prince.  _

_ “Well Jaehyun,” the king starts, “I called you here today to give some very exciting news.”  _

_ Jaehyun turns eagerly, looking up into his father’s warm eyes. _

_ “You know how your eomma and I are married? What do you think it means to be married?” _

_ Jaehyun screws up his face, thinking hard. _

_ “Isn’t that when you hang out a lot and you hug sometimes and have babies and one person tells everyone they’re the boss but it’s actually the other person that’s the boss?” _

_ Chuckling, the king nods.  _

_ “Exactly. Well, King Dongchul and I have been talking and we decided that when you are old enough you need to get married too. And not just to anyone, to his daughter, Sooyoung. Would you like that?” _

_ The tall skinny man that Jaehyun faintly recognizes as Doyoung’s father scoffs, leaning back in his chair.  _

_ “Jaewon, we do not need a child’s permission-” _

_ “Let my boy speak, Dongchul.”  _

_ Jaehyun smiles up at his father before side-eyeing this “Dongchul.” To Jaehyun, he did not seem like a very nice man, with his pinched face and permanent frown. Turning back to his own father, Jaehyun shrugs.  _

_ “If married people have to be together all the time, why can I not just marry Doyoung? I mean-” Jaehyun turns to the princess, hoping not to offend her. “Sooyoung seems very nice, but I know Doyoung better.”  _

_ Chuckling, Jaewon rubs his son’s shoulders. Dongchul, on the other hand, crosses his arms from the other side of the table and glares down at the small prince.  _

_ “You said having babies is a part of marriage? Well you cannot have babies with Dongyoung.” _

_ Jaehyun matches glare with glare, crossing his arms in an imitation of his opponent.  _

_ “I’m sure Doyoung-hyung and I could have loads of babies, if we wanted to.”  _

_ Dongchul sputters, growing red as Jaewon full on bellows, his laughter rumbling through Jaehyun as he slaps his knee.  _

_ “No son, what he means is that two boys can’t have babies together.” _

_ “Well why not?” _

_ “You’ll find out when you’re older.”  _

_ “Jaehyun,” Doyoung pipes up from next to his father. “If you marry Sooyoung, I can visit all the time.” _

_ “And if I marry you, you won’t have to visit because we’ll always be together!” _

_ “You cannot marry a boy!” Dongchul insists, and Jaehyun frowns. Before he can open his mouth to argue, Doyoung interrupts him. _

_ “Sooyoung is very nice. She’ll be a very good wife.” _

_ Jaehun sighs, returning his gaze to the table.  _

_ “Are you sure?” _

_ “Yes Jaehyun. I promise.” _

_ Appeased, Jaehyun nods.  _

_ “Ok. I guess I’ll marry Sooyoung.” _

_ “That’s my boy!” Jaewon claps his son on the back and pushes away from the table, allowing Jaehyun to clamber down from his lap.  _

_ “Run along now and have fun. Doyoung leaves tomorrow.” _

_ Jaehyun nods and runs up to Doyoung’s chair, grabbing his friend by the hand and tugging him out of the room.  _

_ The next day brings tears as Jaehyun clings to Doyoung and tries to persuade him not to go.  _

_ “You promise you won’t forget me?” Jaehyun asks after his nursemaid finally pries him off Doyoung. _

_ “I already promised yesterday. I am not going to break that promise.” _

_ Jaehyun nods and Doyoung enters his carriage. The two boys wave to each other for as long as they can until Jaehyun can no longer see the carriage, disappearing over the horizon. As his nursemaid leads him back inside, Jaehyun shoots one last glance over his shoulder. _

_ “Come back soon,” He whispers to himself. _

  
  


Doyoung jerked awake as his head slammed against the side of the carriage that hit a particularly large bump in the road. Groaning, he rubbed what he was sure was a developing bruise on his forehead and looked over at his sister primly reading a newspaper. 

“How much longer until we get out of this blasted contraption?”

“About another half day,” His younger brother piped up from next to him, flipping through a book. Doyoung groaned again, leaning his head back.

“I can’t wait for a bed. A nice mattress, down comforter, goosefeather pillow.”

Sooyoung scoffed, folded up her newspaper, and glared at her twin. 

“Oh yes, that’s all you’re worried about. Meanwhile, I have the honor of being tied to a man who I never have, and probably never will, love!”

Doyoung rolled his eyes at the dramatics, looking over at Jeno in hope of commiseration but only receiving a small smile. 

“I’m sure you’ll be fine. Jaehyun was a nice kid. King Jaewon was kind too. I’m sure he raised his son right.” 

“It’s not about him being ‘nice,’ it’s about-”

“I know, I know, it’s about having a choice. Trust me when I say this sister, I’m very familiar with not having a choice.” 

Sooyoung’s frown softened and she looked at her brother sadly. 

“I guess we’re all in a situation that we don’t want to be in.”

The carriage rolled to a stop and Doyoung raised his eyebrows in surprise, hearing voices outside. Jeno put his book down and even Sooyoung looked confused, pulling aside the curtain to look out the small window. 

“There’s unfamiliar men outside.” She dropped the curtain, looking back at her two brothers. 

“Don’t worry, I’ll see what’s going on.” Doyoung opened the door and clambered out of the carriage, cursing tiny space and his long legs. The carriage was surrounded by men, all in armor. There’s a familiar crest on all of their chests and Doyoung sighed in relief, walking over to where his carriage driver is talking to a tall man. 

“Is everything alright?”

“Oh! Your highness!” The driver hurriedly bowed, pointing to the man next to him. “This is a knight of the Northern kingdom. They’ve come to escort us the rest of the way.” 

Doyoung smiled as the knight bowed low, giving him a nod in return.

“That is very kind of you and your king. May I ask your name?”

The man stood up straight and smiled and Doyoung didn't even let him respond before bursting out a name. 

“Johnny Seo!” 

The man chuckled and nods, adding “I hoped you would remember me.”

“Well of course!” Doyoung and Johnny clasped hands in a hearty shake. “Who could forget a giant like you? Well, last time I heard you were-” 

Doyoung stopped as he suddenly remembered something. Looking around at the soldiers, he zeroed in on one and walked closer, the man avoiding eye contact but staring straight ahead. 

“Your highness? What-” 

Doyoung silenced Johnny with a hand and stopped in front of the soldier, inspecting his face.

“Oh, c’mon,” Doyoung sighed, reaching up with a thumb and brushing away a spot of dirt on his cheek. “How do you always get these, Jaehyun?”

The soldier finally met his eyes and grinned, dimples imprinting into his cheeks. 

“Hello, Doyoung.” 

**Author's Note:**

> [twitter](https://twitter.com/sunnylionlee)  
> [cc](https://curiouscat.me/things_nct)  
> Please comment and kudos if you like it, i might get the motivation to continue! I already have a story line planned out, the hard part is getting it all down.


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